LONDON (Reuters) - Hollywood actress
Angelina Jolie, in London to promote her new film "Maleficent," used the
red carpet event on Thursday to renew her plea for the safe return of
more than 200 Nigerian school girls kidnapped by Islamist rebels.

The 38-year-old actress, who serves as a United Nations special envoy
for refugees, said it was "heart-warming" to hear reporters' questions
and people's concern for the abducted girls at a movie event.

"The important thing though is to understand that this
happens because these men think they can get away with this and
they can do this," Jolie told reporters.

"We have to start arresting people for this, we have to start
bringing them to justice and we have to start making it an
absolute crime that puts fear in these men so that they think
twice about this kind of action."

People around the world have been showing their support by
taking part in protests and joining online campaigns calling for
the rescue of the girls taken from a secondary school by
extremist group Boko Haram on April 14.

U.S. first lady Michelle Obama and Pakistani schoolgirl and
human rights activist Malala Yousafzai are among those backing
an online campaign and have posted photos of themselves holding
a sign reading "#BringBackOurGirls."

Jolie also said she was increasingly concerned about for people
in Ukraine, where pro-Moscow separatists have ignored a public
call by Russian President Vladimir Putin to postpone a
referendum on self-rule in eastern Ukraine, declaring they would
go ahead on Sunday with a vote that could lead to war.

"I can't imagine anybody from that region isn't just terrified
that the worst is yet to come," she said.

Jolie, dressed in a long black gown and joined by her fiance
Brad Pitt, led the stars of Walt Disney Co's "Maleficent" at the
premiere at London's Kensington Palace. Disney's modern
reimagining of the Sleeping Beauty fairytale is due out in
theaters around the world at the end of the month.

(Reporting by Katharina Urban-Oberberg for Reuters TV in London;
Writing by Piya Sinha-Roy in Los Angeles; Editing by Mary
Milliken and Mohammad Zargham)